blood orange pound cake with star anise fennel syrup.

The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces.

Robert James waller

It’s been almost 3 years since my father passed away and I still feel numb. Some days it feels like a dream and I wake hoping that I walk into the living room and see him sitting on his favourite armchair next to the window, reading glasses on whilst he flips through the morning papers, with one hand gently gripping the Arabic coffee dalah.

I have tried to push myself to re-enter society, hang out with my friends, to feel that comfort that my heart years for, but my heart is still attached to something at home and I’m not sure I will ever be able to shake it.

I have realised with time, that putting on a false smile is not a virtue of mine, but instead internalising my feelings is instead a habit I have shamefully acquired.

As we move to spring, the draw of citrus smells hang in the air and brings me comfort and memories that drive me to create something fresh. So this morning I made a blood orange cake with olive oil infused with fennel star anise sugar syrup.

Yields : 12

Ingredients:

4-5 blood oranges, zested and juiced ( you need 200ml of the juice for the syrup.

(310g) 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

(300g) 1 1/2 cup of caster sugar

4 large eggs

(180ml) 3/4 cup olive oil

(125g) 1/2 cups labneh or yogurt

Blood orange

200ml of blood orange juice

2 pieces of star anise

1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

(200g) 1 cup of sugar

For drizzling ( optional )

(200g) 1 2/3 cups Sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of blood orange juice ( or more)

Method:

Position the rack in the middle of the oven & preheat 180c/350f .

grease and lightly cover with flour 12 cup bundt pan, set a side.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and whisk in the sea salt altogether in a bowl Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat sugar & blood orange on medium speed for 3 minutes until you smell the aroma of the zest and the sugar turns to yellow.

Add the eggs gradually and beat until the mixture is smooth & light add olive oil.
Reduce the speed to low add the flour mixture & labneh or yogurt alternatively starting and ending with flour mixture until incorporated . Don’t overmix

.Pour the batter into the prepared pan, bake for 35-45 minutes. Until wooden skewers inserted comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

while the cake is baking in the oven, ground fennel seeds and star anise using mortar & pestle.

In a small pan over low medium heat mix together ground spices, sugar & blood orange juice and bring to simmer & whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set a side.

when you remove the cake from the oven pierce the top of the cake with fork while it,s in the pan.

note : if the cake created a dome it would be challenging to pour the syrup on top of it because it’s going to go all over the sides of the cake.

Therefore, don’t feel guilty about it , slice the top of the cake to make it even and pierce it all over with fork and pour the syrup on top of it ( save the crumbs for snacking )

For drizzling

Mix together all the ingredients until it's thick & smooth ( add more more juice if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.)